Siddaramaiah Slams Centre Over Karnataka Farmers’ Arrest In Madhya Pradesh

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today condemned the arrest of state farmers in Madhya Pradesh who were heading to the national capital to protest against the central government.

“The arrest of Hubballi farmers by the Madhya Pradesh government, as they were heading to a protest in Delhi tomorrow, is highly condemnable,” Mr Siddaramaiah posted on X.

The Karnataka Chief Minister also demanded that the Madhya Pradesh government release the farmers immediately and allow them to participate in New Delhi’s farmer protest.

“I demand that the Madhya Pradesh government immediately release all the farmers from our state who have been arrested and allow them to participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi tomorrow,” he added.

He further alleged that although it is the government of Madhya Pradesh that has made the arrests, it is clear that the criminal brain behind this act is the central BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“By arresting and intimidating them, the farmers’ struggle cannot be suppressed. Such repression might only lead more farmers to take to the streets, but the struggle of the sons and daughters of the soil will not cease. If the central government truly cares about peace and order, it should immediately meet the demands of the farmers and resolve the issue, rather than repressing and brutalizing them to silence,” he added.

He further said that whenever the BJP comes to power, history bears witness that their first act of aggression is against the farmers.

“Whether it’s at the centre or in the states, whenever the BJP comes to power, history bears witness that their first act of aggression is against the farmers. The first time BJP came to power in Karnataka, farmers asking for fertilizer were ruthlessly shot down by the government led by BS Yediyurappa. Several farmers died due to the violence inflicted on protesting farmers in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh by Narendra Modi’s government at the centre” he added.

“Looking at the current actions of Narendra Modi’s government, it seems their main aim is to intimidate the farmers into submission,” he said.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has expressed its strong discontent and anger against the dictatorial manner in which the Narendra Modi government is handling the democratic mode of protests of the farmers by erecting iron nails, barbed wires, and concrete barricades in the highways in Punjab and Delhi borders, the SKM said in a press statement.

The administration is imposing Section 144 in and around Delhi and Haryana, diverting the traffic without any prior advisory to the public, and creating an atmosphere of terror to frighten off the people. The Modi government is treating protesters as if they are enemies of the country, the statement read.